James Toseland Interview – Donington MotoGP could decide future

In the build up to this weekend’s British MotoGP at Donington, James Toseland has been giving interviews on his disappointing season to date, his thoughts on the future, and his goals for Donington.

James Toseland on Donington and the British Fans:

“The support of the British fans is humbling and they have stuck with me through a very difficult year. I’ve not been that consistent this season, so I want to get a good result at Donington to build up some momentum for the rest of the season.

“I’m looking forward to my home race now at Donington Park and this top ten has given me a bit of a boost. I’ll be looking to make amends for the disappointment of last year at the British GP and giving it my all.”

“This country deserves a MotoGP rider. I believe I can still be competitive so it could be very important for my future. If somebody wants my ride they’ll have to prise my fingers off the bars.”

“We only had limited testing in winter and those crashes didn’t enable me to test for half that time,” he said.

“With the new tyres it was crucial to do laps – we couldn’t afford to give the other guys a running start, and unfortunately that’s what I did.

James Toseland on the crashes he has suffered during 2009:

“When the bike hit me in Sepang my arm went completely dead. I was quite worried about it because I had no feeling in it whatsoever. It took a couple of months to get full strength again. Now everything is back to normal and I’m fully fit.

“I was very lucky to get away (from the crashes) as far as broken bones went. I damaged my arm badly though – I’m not sure if it was the muscle or tendon, but I lost a lot of strength. I had no feeling in my arm at all when I crashed and it took several months to get the strength back.”

James Toseland on his recent top 10 finish:

“I really feel I’m riding well at the moment,”

“To finish in the top 10 means I’m doing well – the difference between a fantastic weekend and an average weekend is that close, it can be 0.1 of a second per lap, so we have to keep the concentration going.”

James Toseland on why he originally joined the Yamaha satellite team:

“With Valentino being on a Yamaha they have to produce a fantastic bike – that’s the pressure they’re under, so that’s the thing that made me decide to go with them. A satellite team doesn’t have the same spec bike as him, but it’s not a bad package at all and it’s certainly capable of finishing around fifth place.

“We get all the experience and feedback of Valentino, who has ridden the bike since 2004. With Valentino being on a Yamaha, Yamaha has got to produce a fantastic bike, because no one is ever going to point the finger at Valentino. If Valentino doesn’t win it’s the Yamaha that is the problem. So Yamaha are under a lot of pressure with that.”

“That was the thing that really made me decide to join Yamaha. It is a great bike, great package – yes the satellite team doesn’t have the same spec as Fiat Yamaha – but it’s certainly not a bad package at all and it’s capable of finishing around fifth place.”

“I can talk to Rossi myself if I need to know anything. Everybody is good friends in the Yamaha group. There are no secrets and everybody is willing to help.”

“Until I get the best of the best the manufacturer produces, it’s difficult for me to show what I can do, but when I’m less than a second-and-a-half off Valentino in qualifying, I know I’m doing well.

“I can only compare myself with Colin, and when he’s finishing ninth and I’m 10th, like happened in Germany, obviously we’re pushing the package close to its limits.”

“I never think about what it would be like if I had what somebody else has got,” he added. I’m just concentrating on the package I’ve got to do the best I can. I know what it’s capable of and I need to show the bike’s potential to keep my job.”

James Toseland on his MotoGP future:

“We’re waiting for Jorge to make his decision and then everyone else can decide,” he said. Because if Jorge goes to Honda than Dani [Pedrosa] might move to Yamaha. You never know what might happen until the top riders are sorted.”

“Until the top riders are sorted, everyone else has to wait. Top riders are expensive so the manufacturers need to know what they’re doing with their budget.”